Dust covered spines
by CaptainHazel
Summary: Bookstore AU - Some things are too good to last, Jim Kirk knows that, so why is he suddenly trying to forget that it's inevitable that his life will fall apart? Could it have something to do with the Vulcan who keeps frequenting his bookstore? - Rating will change later in the story


**Hello, umm, sorry for being really bad at this whole thing you people are welcome to stab me and such, but I've just lost the drive to write all my others so I'm giving it a new start!**

**This will be multi chapter (hopefully a fair few chapters) but be aware it will be inconsistent with updates because of my busy scedual, I shall try to update as often as possible though**

**this will change it rating later on**

**disclaimer - I own no characters or anything that you recognise to be honest**

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**Chapter 1**

Running a hand through his hair and yawning into his shoulder, Jim Kirk jiggled the sticky lock on the door of "Novel's Hovel Bookstore" before giving up and trudging to the coffee shop next-door.

"Nyota" He whined loudly whilst pressing his face against the glass and gazing into the semi darkened room "Hey let me in please" he tried again before tapping on the glass with his knuckle for good measure, a few moments passed by before a woman appeared from the back room.

"Jim" She started coolly as she opened the door "If you're trying to get a free breakfast again you can forget it" Nyota pushed a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear and stood with her hands on her hips, not budging from the doorway.

"Nah, the lock's broken again and I wondered if I could get in through yours" Jim chirped sheepishly before leaping inside with a smirk when all Nyota did was roll her eyes and walk to the back of the shop. It was nice inside, it had cute little tables and a chalk board with all the options written in pastel shades instead of fancy menus, but the feature he liked best was the glass door near the back of the seating area that lead into his bookstore, he still wasn't quite sure how he'd gotten Nyota to agree to it but he was glad he had.

"I take it you want me to keep this door open all day? Because if you can't get into your own shop then I doubt your customers will" Her voice was frosty but Jim ignored it and hugged her anyway, laughing as she swatted him off and stormed into the back room again.

"Hey baby, you missed me?" He shouted into the empty store before dumping his bag and plugging his ancient computer into the power supply, he'd been meaning to change it for a while, the crack in the top corner had slowly spread and the touch sensitivity had spluttered out weeks ago making him beg Scotty to build him a small touch pad adapter till he scraped enough money together to buy a new device. After a few minutes of painful whirring, only half of the screen blinked to life and Jim couldn't stifle the loud curse that slipped from his mouth.

"If you keep swearing I'll lock the door and stop your customers coming in!" Nyota's voice shouted from the other room. Not seeing any way to reply to the woman next-door without seeming rude, Jim put his head in his hands and groaned, only to be startled out of his moping by a dull thump.

"Umm, Meester Kirk? Ze door is locked" a confused voice floated from the sidewalk at the front of the store.

"Yeah sorry about that Pavel, you'll have to come in through Ny's today" Jim sighed before grinning at the scandalised look on the teen's face.

"Vhy is ze door locked still? I sought you had it fixed" Pavel's voice was clearer now he wasn't behind glass but he still hadn't appeared in the bookstore, opting to try and beg a muffin off of Nyota.

"I did have it fixed; obviously they just didn't do a very good job" Jim smiled warmly as Pavel walked in with half a blueberry muffin stuffed into his mouth "Could you write up a sign telling people the door's broken and to come in through the coffee shop?" Patting the nodding boy on the shoulder, Jim walked up the narrow stairs between two walls of precariously stacked books and onto the even stuffier upper floor of the Bookstore.

The smell of old paper was overwhelming and Pavel had attempted to rid the room of the smell by opening the windows wide or placing flowers in the small alcoves, however it never made a difference; much to the appreciation of Jim. It was comforting and real, he liked the way it lingered on his fingertips after he had leafed through a tome or how it had slowly mingled with his natural sent till it was essentially a part of his whole being, yes he'd lost some pretty dates due to him smelling like an old wardrobe but it was sacrifice he didn't mind making.

When Jim had first brought Bones to look at his fully functioning second floor addition to the bookstore, the older man had looked around for a few moments before exploding into a rant about dust and microorganisms and how he was probably allergic to it all and why couldn't he have just been satisfied with helping out in the coffee shop, Jim had been nursing a headache for days after that. He doubted he'd stop coming up to the first floor even if it turned out he was deathly allergic to whatever was floating around in the air, the way the books lit up and practically preened in the sunlight gushing from the large windows was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen.

"Pav, could you put some music on or something?" Jim called down the stairs before turning back to the books he was sorting and slowly swaying with the unfamiliar but catchy song that was drifting from the main area below. He stayed upstairs long enough to organise the first bookshelf before dragging himself back to the main floor to manage the store after a flustered Pavel Chekov had left in a hurry spouting nonsense about helping Scotty with an important project.

"Nyota, would I be asking too much if I had a coffee and paid you when I next make a sale?" Jim called without looking up from his broken computer.

"When you pay for your past five drinks I'll think about it" She called back over the low level noise that her customers provided.

"You're so mean to me!" Jim whined before falling dramatically onto the floor clutching his heart then springing back up when a beeping noise alerted him to the imminent death of his already battered computer.

"No, no come on, please, please don't so this, I can't afford this" He practically cried as he watched it shuffle towards death before taking a sudden leap and falling completely blank. Jim placed his head on his desk and considered the repercussions of having a crying fit there and then, but decided against it when he heard footsteps and the sounds of a mug of coffee being placed on his desk.

"Thanks Nyota" he mumbled before groping blinding for the beverage.

"Thanks are unnecessary and I am not Nyota" An unfamiliar voice spoke from above him causing Jim to snap his head up quickly and stare at a tall man, no Vulcan he corrected himself as he took in the stranger's features, dressed in a casual way that Jim wouldn't have associated with the way the Vulcan held himself.

"I can see that" Jim grinned as he straightened up and desperately tried to not look like he had been sleeping on a floor for three nights "I'm Jim Kirk by the way and this is my Bookstore"

"Nice to meet you , I am Spock" Jim quickly waved away the formal manner at which he had been addressed and insisted that if everyone else just called him Jim then the strange Vulcan standing in his store might as well do the same.

"Jim" Spock seemed to taste the name as he said it, lingering on it for a moment before continuing "I find your establishment to be one of a most peculiar and fascinating nature" Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Jim gulped the last of his coffee before responding.

"How so?" He looked around the room trying to see anything of particular interest but just found books and a fair amount of dust that he'd have to bribe Pavel into cleaning soon.

"It is highly unusual for a seller to still trade in bound books when the content is readily available on most electrical devices and even more so in bound books predating this century" As he spoke, Spock had let his eyes roam around the volumes lining the walls before setting them back on Jim with a quirked eyebrow.

"You like old books?" Jim queried, his interest in his strange customer increasing by the second.

"I suppose you could say that, I have found myself inclined to the overall aspect of a physical book ever since I was a child" Spock seemed a little wary of all the questions being fired at him but answered with perfect civility and politeness. Grinning wildly to himself, Jim push back from his desk and stood quickly, causing the Vulcan to stare at him in alarm.

"If you like books as much as I reckon you do, I think I've got something you might enjoy seeing" He could feel himself almost buzzing with the prospect of sharing his crowning glory with someone who might actually appreciate it instead of scoffing or calling it a health hazard.

"I am not quite sure I understand…" Spock trailed off as Jim impatiently grabbed his shoulder and ushered him up the cramped stairs, following closely behind then jumped in front when they reached the upper level.

"Welcome to wonderland Spock!" Jim couldn't stop the little laugh that escaped him as the Vulcan stared in shock before starting forward to trail his hands over spines and inspect dust covers.

"This is extraordinary Jim" He paused to glance closer at a cover before looking up "How did you come to possess of all of these?" Spock looked at the book in his hands wistfully before placing it back in its place.

"I just dug around till I found people with copies that they were willing to sell" Jim smirked at Spock's expression before letting a manic smile grace his lips "I just remembered a book I bought last year, hold on let me get it down" He darted behind a bulging shelf then called for Spock to join him near a large pile of boxes marked "FRAGILE" and what looked like a rotten wooden ladder.

"You intend to climb that ladder?" Spock asked as he watched Jim place it up against the wall and test it with his foot.

"Yeah, why not? What's the worst that could happen?" Jim grinned from half way up the ladder before stepping up more rungs "This old thing's sturdy as anything" He jumped a little to prove it to Spock but felt the wood splinter and managed a shocked curse before he tumbled off and landed amidst the boxes with a loud clatter.

"Are you injured?" Spock moved forward as he spoke, concern in his eyes.

"I'm fine, had worse than this before honestly" Jim began to clamber up with the assistance of Spock "Hey I bet it's not every day you get a grown man falling at your feet is it?" He watched as the Vulcan was about to reply but was silenced by the shrill shouting of Nyota coming from the stairwell.

"JAMES. IF YOU'VE FALLEN THROUGH THE FLOOR AGAIN I SWEAR TO GOD YOU'RE PAYING FOR IT TO BE FIXED OUT OF YOUR OWN POCKET" Jim pulled himself to his feet, grimaced at Spock, before heading towards the front of the room.

"Don't worry Ny, I just tripped over, no falling through or anything" Squeezing his eyes shut, he waited for another explosion but received a long suffering sigh instead and let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Slapping on a bright smile he turned back towards Spock.

"Sorry about all that" Jim waved his arms about before settling with smoothing his hair down. Spock quirked both eyebrows and had something about his face that may have been a smile or could just have easily not been.

"It is illogical to apologise" Spock replied smoothly, causing Jim to shrug awkwardly before remembering he had never retrieved the book, when he mentioned so Spock assured him it was not important and that he would have to be leaving soon regardless of whether he wanted to stay or not.

"It has been a pleasure Jim" The Vulcan nodded before leaving swiftly through the Coffee shop and across the street to his car. Jim watched his puzzle of a new acquaintance leave then carried on staring out of the large front window only breaking his gaze when Nyota came and stood next to him.

"So did you know him before I asked him to take your coffee in? You both seemed very enamoured with each other" She smirked and bumped her hip against Jim.

"Oh god" He groaned into his hands for the second time that day "I just fell off a ladder in front of him and made a joke about falling at his feet, I'm such an idiot" Nyota patted his shoulder before pulling away.

"Don't worry, I bet you never see him again, also I have left over muffins that aren't going to eat themselves and what Pavel doesn't know won't hurt him" She squeezed his arm then left the room.

"I knew you liked me really" Jim laughed following after her only to be swatted with a napkin and given a warning to not push his luck.

It was dark by the time Jim finally left for his home; he'd spent some time tidying up the store after he closed it before hunkering down near the door and prodding at the lock with a screwdriver, it wasn't the neatest job nor probably the safest but he had avoided the ridiculous price of a repair man and any money he could keep a tight grip on was a blessing.

"Jim do you need a lift? I didn't see your bike out front and I don't mind waiting a bit" Nyota had asked as she'd closed up her shop a few hours before, Jim had refused and told her not to worry and that he was picking it up from a repairs shop not too far away, he kind of wished he hadn't passed up on her offer now, it was cold out and in all honesty he had no clue where his bike was. Sighing and pulling his jacket closer round him as he fastened up the front, Jim stalked away from his store and started to trek back to his apartment.

Jim had hardly managed to get two blocks into his walk before his scuffed up communicator began beeping frantically from the bottom of his bag.

"Who the fuck is even calling me?" Jim muttered to himself angrily as he stopped in a doorway to dig to the bottom of his bag to find the offending device before snapping it open roughly.

"Jim Kirk here" He spoke, making sure his voice conveyed his irritation at having to stop at the side of a road in the dark to answer the call.

"Hey kid glad to see you're alive" A voice with a slight southern drawl emanated from the device making a smile crack on Jim's face.

"Bones why are you calling me, it's not normally your gig" Jim shouldered his bag again as he carried on walking, keeping his communicator in his right hand and lifted towards his face slightly.

"Well Jimmy, when you weren't at your apartment and I had to stand outside your door for an hour, nice neighbours by the way, look real welcoming, I started to get angry and then worried when it stretched to two hours and by three I was seriously considering taking some of the dubious alcohol your elderly landlady was brewing, where the hell have you been kid?" Jim winced and in his mind he could see his friend pinching the bridge of his nose and glaring at him even though he wasn't actually near him.

"Ah shit, I'm sorry Bones I'm on my way home now" He tried to sound as sincere as possible as he quickly crossed the deserted street at a jog and hid under a battered florists canvas cover as fat raindrops started to fall from the sky.

"You're what? ARE YOU TALKING AND RIDING YOUR BIKE AT THE SAME TIME?" Bones shouted then quickly apologised to someone in the background.

"No Bones, I don't even have a bike anymore" Jim quickly tried to calm down his angry best friend.

"Jim what do you mean you don't have your bike anymore? You love that piece of junk" shifting around so his body was protected more from the increasingly heavy rain, Jim sighed at the emotional whiplash Bones was giving him.

"What I mean is that I sold the bike because I like having Chekov as my assistant and it's unfair to tell him I don't have any money to pay his wages for the third week running" Jim listened to Bones sigh deeply before his voice drawled over the communicator

"Where are you Jim? I'll come pick you up, knowing you, there is a possibility you'll get mugged or worse and I'd hate to have to find a new drinking partner" Jim laughed as Bones grumbled and huffed

"And here I thought you were my friend for my sparkling personality and dashing good looks, come rescue me then good doctor, I'll be waiting for you outside that flower shop with the sad looking roses in the window" Bone's didn't respond just grumbled some more then cut the line dead.

Tossing his communicator back into his bag, Jim leant against the dirty glass and fastened the top of his jacket's collar as far it would go then smiled when the material made his breath fly around his ears as it fought to escape its folds.

"Jim Kirk?" A voice to his right asked suddenly causing Jim to freeze and his eyes to widen.

"Shit" He breathed.

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